The inaugural Echelon Ignite Thailand tech conference commences its two-day stretch at Bangkok University today.
The forum – a spin-off from e27′s Echelon Conference, one of Asia’s leading tech startup events – intends to bring founders, investors and key players together to expand business networks and enhance knowledge within the Kingdom’s tech community.
Over the couple of days, attendants will be invited to open sessions and talks by renowned regional players to discuss a range of topics varying from technology innovation to basic startup guidance.
“Despite the success of community events in Thailand, there has been a lack of regional platforms coming to Thailand where Thai startups could interact with community leaders from around Asia,” explains e27 CEO and organiser of Echelon Mohan Belani. “There also hasn’t been much attention on Thailand’s startup scene despite it being the fourth largest market in South East Asia with 70 million citizens and more than 30 per cent of them connected to the Internet.”
The majority of the country’s Internet users are estimated to be between the ages of 15 and 19 and with the adage of an ever-increasing accessibility to the mobile market, which includes smart phones and tablets, this vast youth potential is expected to flourish.
In addition to garnering domestic recognition for the local startup community, Echelon Ignite Thailand also plans to provide an opportunity for participants to achieve acknowledgement on a wider scale.
“There is an opportunity that goes beyond Thailand’s domestic market. The startup community has shown excellent creative potential but has not seen much support in the cross pollination of ideas, best practices and cutting edge technologies that are happening in the region.
Notable speakers at the event include
Patai Padungtin, local entrepreneur, Echelon 2012 champ and and principal of construction industry software provider Builk Asia; Jakob Lykkegaard, Bangkok-based Danish native and investor at Facebook games and app company PlayLab; Michael Smith Jr, Asian startup activist, social media strategist and chief product officer at online video content provider Spuul.
In total, about 20 of “Asia’s top startup personalities” will be speaking at the conference, which not only intends to teach the Thai community lessons learnt throughout Asia, but also to spread ideas from the Kingdom through the rest of the region, according to Belani.
“By bringing Echelon Ignite to Thailand, it is the perfect platform to showcase the creative potential in Thailand while elevating the Thai startup community to a capacity that is attractive to foreign investors and partnerships,” he says. “Ultimately, Echelon Ignite will catalyze more ideas into Thai startups and that the growing community will participate with Asia.”
Tickets for the event at Bangkok University are available HERE and can also be purchased on-the-door for THB9,100.
